Brake means for textile mill spindles



Sept. 6, 1949. c. R. SACCHINI BRAKE MEANS FOR TEXTILE IIILL SPINDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1946 mmvroa COLUMBUS E J/vccH/ v/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1949 BRAKE MEANS FOR TEXTILE MILL SPINDLES Columbus R. Sacchlnl, Wllloughby, Ohio, assignor to The Marquette Metal Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 19, 194%, Serial No. 684.642

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improvement in brakes of or for textile mill spindles.

Textile mill spindles have been improved to permit increases in loading, speed of operation and life of the unit: Increased speeds and loading have demanded improvements in brake design to provide adequate braking forces without complication of construction. Most prior brake structures which have provided the necessary braking force have not only been relatively expensive, but the operating mechanism thereof have been subjectto occasional failures, required adjustment to compensate for brake wear and have not been as certain in operation as they should be.

The present invention provides an improved textile mill spindle incorporating a brake mechanism so constructed as to reduce greatly the manufacturing cost of such mechanism, while overcoming the disadvantages of prior mechanisms outlined above. Preferably the invention comprises a spindle brake mechanism having individually movable mutually complementary arcuate brake shoe elements with an improved yieldable supporting or mounting means for holding such shoe elements normally in an inactive position against a spindle bolster case or other fixed support concentric with the spindle, said yieldable means enabling the braking forces to be uniformly distributed during the braking operation and there being cooperating actuating means for causing or enabling the shoe elements to move quickly and freely to and from braking and non-braking positions. The arrangement is such that the shoe elements may wear appreciably without requiring adjustment in order to compensate for such wear and the brake shoe elements may be held temporarily in braking position subject to quick and easy release when braking is no longer desired.

An object is to provide a textile spindle brake arranged to compensate for brake wear and eliminate requirement for adjustment during the life of the spindle.

Another object is to provide a textile spindle brake which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction and easy to install.

A further object is to provide a textile spindle brake mechanism so designed that it will be trouble free in operation.

A specific object is the provision of an operating mechanism, including a manual control handle which is strongly held in brake applyin position by a ,self looking but readily releasable mechanism, thus enabling elimination of the usual whorl hook for holding the spindle blade against being lifted out of place when the bobbin is doffed.

Another specific object is to provide an inner spring support with spaced apart loops for aligning and holding the brake shoes in an inactive position against the outer peripheral surface of the bolster case or other fixed support.

A further object is to provide an improved collar or mounting flange construction for textile mill spindles, said flange comprising mutually complemental parts both capable of being formed as by simple blanking and punching operations from a single pair or set of dies.

Another object is to provide an improved brake shoe spreader which is simple in construction and capable of fabrication in a single casting operatlon.

Still another object is to provide improved spindle brake shoes which are identical (left and right hand) and relatively simple to make as moldings.

A further object is to provide an improved brake handle which can be simply blanked and formed from sheet metal in one piece.

Other objects and features will become apparent from the following description of the preferred constructions shown in the drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional assembly view of the spindle, showing the brake in 9. released condition;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken as indicated at 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central sectional view of the spindle brake, showing the brake operating handle in its brake applying position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the brake shoes, complementing Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the brake shoe spreader and guiding pin thereof; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the brake operating handle.

Referring further to the drawings, the parts of the spindle contruction not fully shown may be completed in accordance with Patent 2,351,951, June 20, 1944 of Herbert Gleitz or Patent 2,388,900, November 13, 1945 of H. H. Brooksieker et 9.1., both owned by the assignee hereof.

The lower portion of the bolster case is shown at I. The upper portion of said case contains, in a counterbore la, the main or bolster bearing (not shown). Said bolster case is preferably formed of seamless steel tubing, thus providing an oil reservoir portion 2 containing a footstep end of the tubular bolster case,

bearing block 3. The bearing block 3, while shown in the form of a simple plug for the bottom has or may have in actual practice provision for lateral movement of the lower end of the spindle blade 4. The blade 4 has a slightly tapered portion 4a between the collar bearing engaging portion 4b and the conical terminal tip 40 which rests in a central flared socket 3a of the footstep bearing block.

The footstep bearing 3, in cooperation with the bolster bearing, supports for rotation the blade and the driving whorl 5 thereof which is, in effeet, a rigid part of the spindle blade. The bolster hearing, as in the two patents mentioned above, allows no appreciable lateral movement of the blade in the region of the whorl. It permits free axial movement of the blade necessary to withdraw it from the bolster case.

The driving-band-engaging portion of the whorl is indicated at 5a, the usual band-supporting lever lower flange at 51) and an internal circular braking surface is preferably formed wholly within the flange as at 50. Since the. bolster bearing does not permit lateral movement of the spindle blade in the region of the whorl and the whorl is rigidly connected to the blade, the braking surface 5c is held concentric with the adjacent external peripheral surface portion lc of the bolster case.

The brake mechanism comprises, as shown, a brake shoe and retaining spring assembly 8 and an actuating mechanism 9, both described later herein.

A bolster supporting and attaching flange Ill supports the brake actuating mechanism 9. The

flange comprises two flat sheet metal stampings ll and i2 integrally joined together and to the bolster case as by brazing. In the present construction, the stampings are or can be made identical and require but one blanking die to form them. The external surface of the bolster case I is generally cylindrical and provided with screw threads at lb for supporting the usual clamping nut by which, in cooperation with the flange 10, the bolster is attached to the spindle rail or other support. The nut and rail are not shown.

The spindle stopping portion of the brake mechanism (assembly 8) comprises primarily two arcuate brake shoes IS, the character of which is best shown in Fig. 4. To mount the shoes on the bolster case in cooperative relationship to the internal braking surface 50 of the whorl, I employ primarily a peripheral groove l4 in the cylindrical surface lc of the bolster case and a -C-shaped spring l5 seated in the groove and connected to the shoes.

Referring to Fig. 2, the brake shoes l3 are so mounted as normally to be held with their outer peripheral braking surfaces 13a slightly spaced from the interior braking surface 50 of the whorl. The groove I4 receives the generally C-shaped wire spring i5 which nearly surrounds the bolster case and has portions l8 projecting laterally out of the groove on opposite sides of the case for engagement with respective sockets ll formed in the inner faces of the shoes. The projections support the shoes in alignment with the braking surface of the whorl. Additionally, parallel free end portions l8 of the spring l5 project out of the groove l4 and downwardly as at l9, Fig. 1, for engagement with parallel openings 20 in respective ear portions 2|, Fig. 4, of the shoes. The ear portions are of reduced width relative to the \ctive braking portions of the shoes as clearly shown by Figs. 1 and 4. The spring thus holds the two shoes in horizontal alignment with each other at opposite sides of the bolster case and the free end portions l8 and IQ of the spring enable the adjacent ends of the shoes to move toward and awa from the braking surface 5c of the whorl. The only restraining influence on the shoes exerted by the spring I5 is at the openings 20, so that the spring-connected ends of the shoes can move both radially of the spindle axis and circumferentially of the bolster case. Additionally, the shoes are pressed inwardly toward and against the surface [0 of the bolster case by a C-shaped spring 24 occupying co-planar external peripheral grooves 22 in the shoe inwardly from the braking surfaces of the shoes.

The downwardly projecting free end portions I9 of the C-shaped spring depend beyond the openings in the ears 2| of the brake shoes and extend loosely into an elongated slot 23 in the upper bolster flange section II. Ordinarily, the spring end portions 19 do not make contact with any of the wall surfaces defining the slot 23, but the end walls of the slot may be so related to the spring ends l9 as to limit circumferential motion of the shoe and spring assembly 8 so that in the brake releasing condition of the actuating mechanism 9 (see Fig. 3-described later) said shoe and spring assembly 8 can not be rotated out of place by drag of the whorl thereon or from other cause.

The brake actuating mechanism 9, Figs. 1 to 3, is mounted on and in the flange Ill and comprises a spreader or cam member 36, shown best in Fig. 5. The spreader makes operating contact with relatively outwardly diverging end surfaces 33 of the shoes l3 as shown in Fig. 2. The spreader 36 is in the form of an upright main body having a lower parallel sided base portion 31 of rectangular form slidable in a guideway 38, Fig. 2, which is formed as a vertical opening through the entire flange ill, or in other words,

through both sections II and I2 thereof. The

parallel sided base portion 31 of the spreader has a pin 39 which may be integral with the spreader and which extends beyond opposite sides of the opening 38 radially of the spindle assembly. One end portion 39a of the pin is guided in an opening 40 formed partly in the flange and partly in the bolster case and the opposite end portion 39b of the pin extends into terminal coils of a compression spring 42 slidably disposed for floating movement in a guide bore 43, complemental portions of which are formed as by drilling in the joined flange sections II and I2. Said bore 43 intersects the guide opening 38 and as shown at the right, Figs. 1 and 2, opens into a through slot 44 at an edge portion of the flange in remote from the bolster case.

The slot 44 contains an over-center toggle mechanism, including an operating handle 50 supported on a pivot pin 5| occupying aligned bores 5la in the flange at opposite sides of the slot 44. Said toggle mechanism further includes a spring operating abutment in the form of a ball which bears against the outer end coil of the spring 42 and is connected by a link 52 to the upper end of the handle 50. The link, as shown particularly by Figs. 1 and 2, has oppositely directed and axially aligned arm portions 52a entering openings 52b in side wall or wing portions 53 of the handle, see Fig. 6.

The handle is preferably formed as a single piece sheet metal part, the main portion of which,

- as shown in Fig. 6, is a tube constituted by portions of the sheet rolled into a c-shape and having formed at one end the parallel wing portions 53. The outer wall surfaces of the wings fit the slot M. The link 52 can be made from two short pieces of wire, each having one end press fitted into respective portions of a complementary opening in the ball 45 after the outer aligned ends of the two wire sections are inserted into the respective openings 52b in the wing portions of the handle.

The handle. as shown in Fig. 1, is in position to render the brake inactive by withdrawing the ball from pressure contact with the compression spring 42, allowing the shoe-retainer spring M to force the spreader 36 to the right (Figs. 1 and 2). When the handle is swung upwardly about the pivot pin 5i into the position shown by Fig. 3, the ball 45 compresses the spring 42 which then acts as a yielding distance piece between the ball and the spreader 36 in forcing the shoes apart until all peripheral portions of the shoes are brought into braking contact with the internal whorl surface 50.

In order to apply the brake, the handle 50 does not have to be swung upwardly as far as shown by Fig. 3, but if it is desired that the brake be left temporarily in braking position to facilitate dofilng of the bobbin, then the handle is swung to the Fig. 3 position in which the principal axis of the link 52 is below a line falling on the centers of the ball 45 and the pivot pin 51. Since the spring 42 is thereby compressed in forcing the brake shoes against the braking surface of the whorl, the spring reacts on the ball to maintain the handle in said illustrated position. The upward movement of the handle is limited by an abutment surface 60 on the end of the handle which makes contact with the inner wall of the slot 44 as illustrated. The downward movement of the handle is also limited as illustrated in Fig. l by a pair of cars 5| formed on the wings 52, each being in position to contact with the underside of the flange ill to prevent swinging movement of the handle in a clockwise direction farther than as shown by Fig. 1.

When the handle 50 is raised from its illustrated position in Fig. 1 to about the position thereof shown by Fig. 3, the ball 45 is thrust to the left in the guide bore 43 compressing the spring t2 and forcing the spreader 36 into camming contact with the diverging end surfaces 33 of the brake shoes. The brake shoes l3 are thus caused to make contact with the whorl braking surface 50 somewhere to the right of the spindle center line, each shoe with a respective portion of the whorl surface and bi-symmetrically of the major axis of the flange. Then by reason of the fact that the opposite end portions of the shoes are free to float radially in a horizontal plane, said opposite ends of the shoes will spread apart as the brake shoes I3 tend to align themselves with the center of the braking surface cavity of the whorl. The floating movement is permitted by the loose connection between the spring ends l9, Fig. 1, and the slot 23 in the top flange section and generally by the double spring support of the shoes. If the handle has been raised to the position shown by Fig. 3, then the shoes stay in braking contact with the whorl and the loaded bobbin can be doifed without danger of lifting the spindle blade and whorl assembly out of place. To release the brake, it is only necessary to tap the brake handle so as to shift the axis of compressive force of the spring 42 to the opposite side of the axis of the pivot pin 5|,

whereupon the handle will be forced downward by the expanding coil spring. The coil spring, when expanded to the point indicated by Fig. 1, holds the abutment ears 6| of the handle firmly against the under side of the flange [0.

It will be apparent that the operating handle 50, the two brake shoes l3 and the spreader 36 can each be made as simple one-piece parts respectively by molding, sheet metal forming and casting.

The brake actuator or shoe-spreader 35 can be formed as a simple die casting with the pin elements 39a and 39b integral with the main body. If the pin 39 is made as a separate piece, as from rod stock, then the pin may be embedded in the body during the casting operation or pressed into place in an opening cast or drilled into the body. Assembly of the pin 39 into the flange I0 is facilitated by providing a slot 63 in one or both flange sections II and I2 intersecting the guide opening 38 and the retaining bore 43 for the spring 42. Both flange sections as shown are slotted at 63 so that the pin can be inserted from either side of the flange Ill. The brake shoes may obviously be made each as a single piece molding in one operation in suitable cavitied dies and requiring no finishing operation.

I claim:

1. In a textile mill spindle, a bobbin-supporting blade and whorl unit having a circular braking surface, brake means cooperating with said surface, means normally holding the brake means in released or non-braking condition, and brake actuating means comprising an overcenter toggle mechanism including a single compression spring arranged to hold the toggle mechanism in overcenter latched condition while simultaneously acting as a yielding push rod to exert braking pressure on the brake means, whereby the blade and whorl unit can be retained against movement without requiring attention of an operator during doifing of the bobbin.

2. In a textile mill spindle, a whorl and blade unit and a bolster case supporting said unit for rotation, said whorl having a circular braking surface, brake mechanism cooperating with said surface, spring means for moving the brake mechanism to an inactive position clear of said circular surface, and an actuating mechanism for the brake mechanism comprising an arm pivoted to the bolster case so that one endof the arm may swing toward and away from the brake mechanism, a link pivoted to said one end of the arm and a compression spring, one end of which abuts the free end of the link and the other having an operating connection with the brake mechanism operative to release the brake, said arm, link and spring acting as an over-center latch releasably to hold the brake mechanism in braking position.

3. A textile mill spindle comprising a bolster case, a blade and whorl unit rotatable in the case, said unit having a circular braking surface, a normally inactive brake shoe assembly floatingly mounted on the bolster case for cooperation with said circular surface to stop the spindle, a brake actuator member mounted on the bolster case and movably arranged to force the shoe assembly into active or braking position, an actuator-operating member pivotally secured to the bolster case and havin a toggle arm connected therewith offset from the ivot of the operating member, and a spring operating as a yielding push rod connecting the toggle arm and the actuator member and operative to maintain braking force while holding the toggle arm and operating member in a self locking over-center position with respect to the pivot of the operating member.

4. A textile mill spindle comprising a bolster case, a blade and whorl unit rotatable in the case. said unit having a circular brakin surface, a brake mechanism mounted on the bolster case for cooperation with said circular surface to stop the spindle, an actuator member slidably mounted on the bolster case and arranged to force the brake mechanism into active position, an operating handle pivotally secured to the bolster case and having a toggle arm connected therewith offset from the pivot of the handle, and a compression spring interposed between the toggle arm and the actuator member and operative releasably to retain the handle in brake applying position while exerting operating force on the brake mechanism.

5. In a textile mill spindle, a bolster case and a blade and whorl unit supported by the case in concentric relation thereto, said unit having an internal braking surface, a pair of arcuate brake shoes and yielding means normally holding the brake shoes out of frictional contact with the internal braking surface, yielding means on the bolster interconnectin two mutually adjacent ends of the brake shoes, and means operative on-the other two ends of the shoes to expand the shoes and stop the spindle blade from rotating.

6. In a textile mill spindle, a bolster case and a blade and whorl unit supported by the case, said unit having an internal brakin surface, a pair of arcuate brake shoes and means supporting the shoes in a manner to enable braking contact with the internal braking surface, said means in- 8 intersecting their inner peripheral surface, the bolster case having a peripheral groove co-planar with said slots, a circular spring member seated in said peripheral groove and having projections formed thereon entering the slots of the shoes to hold the shoes in the principal plane of said internal braking surface, spring means connected with the shoes for forcing the shoes normally toward the bolster case and out of braking contact with said internal surface, and means carried by the bolster case and cooperating with the shoes to apply the brake.

8. The mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said circular spring member has mutually adjacent portions extending generally radially out of the retaining groove and with parallel portions pivotally and yieldingly connecting adjacent ends of the shoes.

9. In a textile mill spindle, a bolster case and a blade and whorl unit supported by the case for rotation therein, said unit havin an internal braking surface, an expanding brake mechanism supported by the bolster case in the principal :plme of said internal surface for braking contact therewith, a flange rigid with the bolster cluding a c'-shaped spring seated in a peripheral groove of the bolster case and having its free ends connected to respective adjacent ends of the case and having a radial guide opening formed therein, a brake actuating member guided by a portion of said opening and having means thereon for actuating connection with the brake to apply the latter, a coil spring in said guide opening bearing at one end on the brake actuating member, and an operatin mechanism supp rted by the flange and having a part extending into said guide opening into abutment with the opposite end of said spring for operation of the actuating member through the intermediary of the p ing.

COLUMBUS R. SACCHINI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

